The Evening Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News, and Echo. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1898. A PROSPEROUS SEASON.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIX, Issue 302, 22 December 1898, Page 4

The Evening Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News, and Echo.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1898. A PROSPEROUS SEASON.

For tie Ciuse that lack* M3istaie«, Fer tko vrroag that needs rssistaaee, Icr the future in tho distaueo, Aid thj cjo« that y.-d c;ia it.

The out-going: San Francisco mail, which departs hence on Christmas Eve, leaves us when everything- is wearing its most attractive appearance. There is every prospect of the , festive season being a particularly bright and happy one in Auckland this year. The Exhibition, which has proved a. success lo a degree ! 1 >at even the most sanguine never expected, affords endless scope for entertainment. Then there is to be n native regatta and aquatic carnival lasting- a fortnight, which will introduce some of the most interesting and picturesque aspects of native life to the town-dwellers. And in addition' to these two Christmas and New Year's specialities there are the innumerable avenues for healthy enjoyment which are always open at this time of year. If anyone fails to spend a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year it. will certainly not be for lack of cheap modes of amusement. The financial and industrial conditions in , the community here and throughout the colony also conduce to make the season a pleasant one for most of us. Trade has been in many cases good and in all cases satisfactory during the past twelve months and money is fairly abundant. The prospeels for the coming' year are almost universally good, and where they might be better the hopeful spirit of the season leads one to look at them from the best point of view. Agricultural and pastoral industries, which are of course the most important in the whole colony, are healthy and propressive to a very encouragingl extent. Our exports of such staples as butter, cheese and frozen beef and mutton have been advancing at a rapid pace recently. In the last return issued by the Agricultural Department Vat Wellington the figures are given for the seven months ending October last. They show an increase over those, for the corresponcling, seven months of 1807 in every line except

tm'ien beet The. value ci the butter expo:ted this year wi+hm.the period mentioned was £32;000 hi excess of: the amount sent away during the same months in the previous year. The export of: cheese increased from £51,000 to £67,000; of. mutton from £491,000 to £502,000; and Jamb from £28,000 lo £5152,000.

There lias also been a notable increase, of at least £140,000 in the output of the precious metals this year, This increase is due to the Auckland goidfields, and principally to the mines in the Ohinemuri district. Such a result cannot but be very gratifying- to Aucklanders and those interested in the goldfjtlds; for not only does it rc.pre&ent so much ir.ore money brought into circulation, but it is an earnest of better thmtfs to come. From the general prosperity of the agricultural,■• pastoral and mining industries of the colony it k very safe to draw a favourable conclusion as to il;s position as a whok. New Zealand it; .certainly prospering and shows every sign of continuing1 to prosper.